To schedule a White House tour through Congress, contact the office of your U.S. Representative or U.S. Senator and ask their staff to submit a tour request to the White House Visitor’s Office on your behalf. Requests are accepted between 7 and 90 days before your preferred date, and every guest goes through a background check.1The White House. Visit The White House Tours are free and self-guided, but there is no way to book one directly with the White House.
Who to Contact
Every request runs through a member of Congress. Find yours by entering your zip code at congress.gov/members, or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected. Either a Representative’s or a Senator’s office can submit the request; most people start with their Representative.
Residents of U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands go through their congressional delegate using the same process.1The White House. Visit The White House Foreign nationals do not use a congressional office at all. Contact your country’s embassy in Washington, D.C., and the embassy submits the request.2house.gov. White House
When to Submit Your Request
The submission window is 7 to 90 days before your preferred date.1The White House. Visit The White House Requests outside that range will not go through. Slots fill first-come, first-served, so applying closer to the 90-day mark gives you the best chance at a specific date, especially in spring and summer.
Even after a tour is confirmed, the White House can change or cancel it with little notice for weather or scheduling reasons, and there is no public rescheduling process.1The White House. Visit The White House Keep your D.C. itinerary flexible.
What Information You’ll Need to Provide
Have the following ready for every person in your group before you contact your representative’s office:
- Full legal name, exactly as it appears on the ID they will bring to the tour
- Date of birth
- Gender
- For U.S. citizens: Social Security number, used for the background check3U.S. House of Representatives. Tour Request
- For foreign nationals: passport number and country of citizenship
Every detail has to match the government-issued ID the guest will present at the gate. A misspelled name or a wrong digit in an SSN can get the request denied, and there may not be time to fix and resubmit inside the booking window.
What Happens After You Submit
Your representative’s office forwards the request to the White House Visitor’s Office, which runs the background checks. Approved guests receive an email from the White House asking them to confirm attendance; that email carries the assigned arrival time and entrance instructions. The White House does not publish a firm timeline, but congressional offices generally tell constituents to expect an answer no later than about a week before the requested date.1The White House. Visit The White House
Silence usually means the date was not available. Watch your inbox and check your spam folder.
Tour Days and Hours
Public tours run Tuesday through Saturday. Hours vary by day:1The White House. Visit The White House
- Tuesday through Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
No tours run on Sundays, Mondays, federal holidays, or dates set aside for official functions. Pick a preferred date and a backup within these hours before you contact your representative.
REAL ID at the Gate
As of May 7, 2025, every U.S. citizen entering on a tour must present REAL ID-compliant identification. A standard driver’s license that is not REAL ID compliant will be rejected at the entrance, and the guest will not be admitted.4The White House. Visit The White House FAQs The rule applies to everyone, including VIP guests and press.
Acceptable ID for U.S. citizens:
- A REAL ID driver’s license or state-issued ID, marked with a gold star or similar indicator
- A valid U.S. passport
- A valid U.S. military ID
Foreign nationals of all ages, including children, must present a valid passport from their home country. Expired passports, photocopies, digital copies, and phone photos of IDs are not accepted.4The White House. Visit The White House FAQs U.S. citizens under 18 do not need to present ID. If you are unsure whether your license is REAL ID compliant, bring your passport as a backup.
What You Cannot Bring
There is no bag check or storage at the White House or at the nearby Visitor Center.5National Park Service. On the Day of Your Tour – The White House and Presidents Park If you show up with a prohibited item, you will be turned away. This is the most common way people lose confirmed tour spots.
Prohibited items include:
- Bags of any kind, including purses, backpacks, fanny packs, clutches, and suitcases
- Strollers
- Cameras with detachable lenses, tripods, monopods, and video cameras
- Tablets
- Food, drinks, and tobacco products, including e-cigarettes
- Pointed objects, flags, and signs
You can bring your phone, a compact point-and-shoot camera with a lens no longer than three inches, and medical items such as wheelchairs, EpiPens, and medication.4The White House. Visit The White House FAQs Phone photography is allowed during the tour. Leave everything else at your hotel.
Arriving on Tour Day
The tour entrance is at the northeast corner of Lafayette Square, where H Street NW meets Madison Place NW.4The White House. Visit The White House FAQs Arrive at least 15 minutes before your assigned time. Late arrivals are not admitted, and a congressional office cannot get you in after the fact.
There is no visitor parking, and street parking nearby is very limited. Use Metro: Federal Triangle, Metro Center, and McPherson Square stations are all within walking distance. If you are driving into the city, park farther out and ride in.